Page 61 of Any Kind of Life
“They wouldn’t try to wake Juliet if they weren’t confident of her recovery right now.” Caz guided Paige towards the living room and sat her down on the couch. “Now just take a few breaths, figure out what you need, and we will be here ready to go whenever you are.”
Paige lowered her head to her hands and sighed. Caz was right. She really needed a moment to relax. If she went into Juliet’s hospital room in a panic, Juliet may feed off that energy. Calm and collected was one hundred percent the right approach here. She lifted her head and smiled back at Caz. “I don’t know what I would have done without you and Hannah this past week.”
Caz reached out and touched Paige’s cheek lightly. “We said we’d be here for you, and we meant it. Everything is going to be okay.”
Chapter 22
Paige watched Juliet, holding her hand and her breath as she came around and opened her eyes. Paige had been waiting for this moment for what felt like an eternity, and honestly, she hadn’t known what to expect when the day did arrive. The day when she would look into Juliet’s eyes again. The day when Paige could breathe a slight sigh of relief, then prepare for the recovery. All she knew in this moment was that the tension she’d felt recently was beginning to wear off. Not a lot, but enough for her to feel calm in this environment. She had hated seeing Juliet surrounded by machines helping to heal her. She had hated leaving this room only to arrive home to an empty apartment. Nothing felt the same anymore, but one day…it would. It had to.
She smiled as Juliet licked her lips. Today, they could begin the road to recovery.
“Paige.” Juliet swallowed repeatedly. “Am I really alive?”
Paige wanted to cry against Juliet’s skin, but she wouldn’t. She had to be strong for the time being. “You’re really alive, babe. You’ve looked better.” Paige cocked her head. “But you’re one hundred percent here, alive, in front of me.”
Juliet closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. “H-how long have I been out of it for?”
“Five days.” Paige lifted Juliet’s hand and brought it to her cheek. She held it there, her own eyes closing, the realisation of everything sinking in fully. “But they did that to help you heal.”
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Juliet spoke so quietly that Paige had to shift her seat closer to the bed. “I don’t know how I’m alive.”
“I got to the bar about fifteen minutes after you texted me. You were alone and on the floor.” Paige didn’t want to bombard Juliet with information from that afternoon, so she would say as little as possible. Juliet would have to go over it all again with the police anyway. “But you’re strong, and that’s why you’re alive. Because you don’t give up.”
Juliet regarded Paige with a weak smile. “I almost gave up.”
Paige squeezed her hand. “But you didn’t.”
“Only because of you.” Juliet turned her head to Paige, showing her those devastatingly beautiful eyes. “She told me that she had been waiting until I was at my happiest. That she would take me away from you because of a case I worked in the past.”
“You’re talking about Cara, right?” Paige knew she was responsible, but she had wanted to hear Juliet confirm it herself. It hadn’t been possible to view the CCTV. Not because the police had taken it—Henry had made a backup copy—but because Paige couldn’t bring herself to watch the moment Juliet almost died. She didn’t need to see it.
“Mm.” Juliet managed a slight nod. “They’ve caught her?”
“No, babe. Not yet. But they are looking for her. Henry knows who she is. She’s Big Ron’s niece. You know who he is, right?”
“He’s right. But I don’t want him to deal with this. The police can handle it. I’m tired of always looking over my shoulder, and if Henry sorts this out, it’ll only continue.”
“You don’t need to worry about anything other than getting better. Let everyone else deal with the things going on around you. I need you to heal so you can come home to me, Juliet. I don’t care about anything else right now.”
Juliet lifted her head only to lower it back to her pillow again. Paige knew she would want to move around, she rarely sat still, but this was going to require patience. Not on Paige’s part, she had all the patience in the world, but Juliet was going to struggle. “When can I leave?”
Paige’s brows rose. “Not for a while yet. You’ve had major emergency surgery. You’re going to need to rest and recover.”
“And Cara is still out there?”
Paige took a breath. She couldn’t keep up with the yo-yoing of this conversation. Juliet likely wasn’t fully in the room yet, though. “Yeah. But the police are looking for her. You’re safe here. They have someone outside, and Henry isn’t far away either.”
“W-would you do something for me?” Juliet asked as she turned her head to Paige again. Fresh tears sat on her eyelids, her bottom lip trembling. “Please?”
“Anything, babe. You name it, and I’ll do it.”
“Leave. Go home, pack your things, and leave Liverpool.”
Of all the requests in the world, Paige hadn’t expected that one. “I’m sorry?”
“I can’t risk you being caught up in this. You’ve been through so much, and I never wanted this to become our life. So, I need you to go to the apartment, get all of your belongings…and go.”
If Juliet hadn’t sounded so serious, Paige would have burst out laughing. But she was serious. The look in her eyes told Paige just how serious she was. “Yeah, I’m not doing that.” Paige sat back in her seat, resting her ankle on her knee. “The police will find Cara soon. She’s too stupid to get away with this for much longer.”